Commercial READY TO EAT (RTE), puffed, dry cereal pieces can be consumed hand-held like a finger-food as long as the cereal pieces remain dry. Whenever commercial, RTE, puffed, dry cereal pieces, like those listed in Table 1, are submerged in refrigerated fluid-milk, the cereal pieces absorb the milk and become so soggy that they can no longer be picked up and consumed hand-held. In addition, when RTE, dry, puffed cereal pieces and fluid-milk are combined in a bowl, there always remains an excess amount of fluid-milk in the bowl because the RTE, dry, puffed cereal pieces have a very small and limited fluid-milk absorption capacity and cannot absorb all the fluid-milk.
The prior art teaches how to make several different very low density commercial RTE puffed, dry cereal pieces (like those listed in Table 1) from processes that include: gun-puffing, oven-puffing, flaking, shredding, and extrusion cooking/expansion. There are two general methods for making puffed, dry, RTE very low-density cereal pieces. In one method, the sudden application of heat at atmospheric pressure vaporizes the cereal's water and puffs the cereal before the water vapor has time to diffuse to the surface of the cereal pieces. In the second method, the cereal, under pressure and containing superheated steam, is transferred suddenly from a higher to a lower pressure which vaporizes the water and puffs the cereal. Both methods depend on water instantaneously changing from liquid to a vapor.
The prior art also teaches how to coat the surfaces of the RTE puffed, dry cereal pieces with glazes or syrups that protect the cereal pieces from fluid-milk absorption by slowing the rate that the fluid-milk absorbs into the puffed and coated cereal pieces. In addition to the individual RTE puffed, dry, cereal pieces that are made to be submerged in fluid-milk and eaten from a bowl with a spoon, the puffed, dry, cereal pieces that are listed in Table 1 are also joined together to make low-density, dry, cereal snacks such as rice cakes, rice crispy bars, and granola bars.
Table 1. A partial list of commercial, RTE, puffed, dry, cereal products listing the "puffng" techniques, product type, company, and the low bulk densities of the cereal pieces:
______________________________________ Bulk Densities Commercial, RTE, Dry, (Grams/Cubic "Puffed" Cereal Products Company Centimeter) ______________________________________ RICE KRISPIES Puffed Kelloggs 0.0950 CORN FLAKES Flakes Kelloggs 0.1086 WHEATIES Flakes General Mills 0.1526 SPECIAL K Flakes Kelloggs 0.1150 CAP'N CRUNCH Puffed Quaker 0.1396 OREOS O'S Puffed Kraft 0.1410 PUFFED WHEAT Puffed Quaker 0.0524 PUFFED RICE Puffed Quaker 0.0538 COCOA PUFFS Puffed General Mills 0.1498 CHEERIOS Puffed General Mills 0.1130 CHEERIOS HONEY NUT Puffed General Mills 0.1350 ______________________________________
The prior art also teaches how to make hand-held, dry nutritional bars for sports enthusiasts, children, and the elderly by mixing dry powdered proteins, dry simple and complex carbohydrates, and dry powdered milk, and then compressing the dry mixture of ingredients into bar shapes. There are also bakery products such as breads, sweet rolls, and cakes that use milk-based additives such as whey, non-fat dry milk solids, and whey protein concentrates for protein fortification, color-development, and improved bread volume. The prior art also teaches how rice, other cereal grains, and pasta pieces are cooked in water and/or steam, and how shaped rice and grain products are made from cereal grains that are cooked in water and/or steam.
The present invention relates to a process for producing a cereal and fluid-milk breakfast-food product having a firm surface and an interior comprised of fully- cooked, soft and moist, fluid-milk-infused cereal grains joined together. The cereal and fluid-milk products of the present invention can be picked up and eaten hand-held because their textures are not soggy even when infused with all the added fluid-milk. More specifically, the present invention teaches a process for making hand-held cereal and fluid-milk products, as taught in Example 1, that have a water activity above 0.85, stored frozen, and are reheated before serving, and consumed hand-held; and also other cereal and fluid-milk products, as taught in Example 2, that have a water activity below 0.85, are stored at room temperature, and consumed hand-held.
The products of the present invention are particularly usefull for traveling and busy consumers who want the taste and nutrition of a bowl of whole grain cereal and fluid-milk but don't have the time to sit down at a table, pour the fluid-milk and whole-grain cereal in a bowl and then eat it with a spoon. They want the convenience of eating their whole grain cereal and fluid-milk hand-held while on-the-go, even while driving their car.